Outside, inside, outside, inside … nope, it doesn’t matter… I love her work in both places! This colorful ‘moss’ is the work of Chilean artist {based in Canada} Katy Biele. I found her mixed media paintings first, but when I saw that she’s been taking her art out for nature walks, oh my word, LOVE. ps. Katy’s partner/photographer Josh Wicks goes with her on those walks, as these pieces are a collaborative project. LOVE {again}.

California based artist Lilian Martinez. A few of the images above are from her past shows at Ochi Gallery in LA, and this is the gallery’s description of her work:

“Lilian Martinez’ work blends representation and iconographies of past with present and imaged future, combining classical architectural elements with contemporary pop cultural references to create the settings for her portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. Her flat, bold style recalls iconic predecessors like Matisse, while her impetus to center brown bodies that have historically been essentialized, if not omitted altogether, from these sorts of historical artworks recontextualizes the roles of the artist and subject at once.

Martinez’ newest body of work is both more commanding in scale, as well as increasingly focused on the figures she portrays. The figures are usually engaged in everyday leisure activities, and Martinez’ work indulges color and mood, all while maintaining a charming nonchalance. Even in the works bold simplicity, a matrix of historical and cultural signifiers exposes a boundlessness, both in connection through nostalgic specificity and limitlessness in the lack thereof. Towering above the line of sight, Lilian Martinez’ women portrayed, welcome the viewer with open arms into a dreamscape of her making.”

Beautiful! {Some of Lilian’s work is available through her shop; original work can be found via Ochi Gallery.}

Gasp! These pattern-filled, domestic-meets-divine, narrative ‘n nostalgic paintings are not only breathtaking, they’re also packed with clever references to all sorts of things… a nod to Van Gogh’s work boots, for example (look at those juicy red laces squeezed right outta the tube!). This is the work of LA based painter Alec Egan, and all of these pieces were part of his most recent show this past summer, titled “August”, at Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles. Stunning.

ps. according to Alec’s Instagram feed, he and his partner, Harper, just became parents to a sweet little girl a few weeks ago… congratulations, you three!

Sooooo, who wants to start Monday morning by licking some art? Me too! Okay, fine, I won’t actually lick/touch this work by Baltimore based artist Nicole Dyer… but I really want to! Gooey paint and googly eyes, sparkly pompoms and puffy stickers. Yes, yes, yes, YES. The combination of hilarious kitsch and obvious artistic skill is one of my most favorite pairings… much like candy-covered cupcakes and grapefruit-flavored fizzy water. Ew. Actually, never mind that last one.

Okay, I’m a little late to the game on this work by Chinese artist Peng Wei, but oh my goodness I love it! She’s been making these paper-molded pieces since 2007… women’s body parts covered in hand painted xuan paper. This work represents her concern over the Westernization of traditional Chinese culture. Look carefully, because she’s hidden treasures like ladies wearing some very non-traditional high heeled shoes while going about their daily tasks. ps. the boots were a collaboration with shoe designer Sergio Rossi in 2012.

{found via Art Girl Rising}

Gasp! These lacy, spray-painted murals are the gorgeous work of Warsaw based artist NeSpoon. From Sicily to Spain, France to Croatia she is bringing the traditional lace of each area out of the linen closet and onto the walls of the town! I’ll let NeSpoon explain:

“Why laces? Because in laces there is an aesthetic code, which is deeply embedded in every culture. In every lace we find symmetry, some kind of order and harmony, isn’t that what we all seek for instinctively? Why street art? Because it gives freedom.”

Harmony and freedom… yes please!

Pure happiness! This is the hyper-real work of Spanish painter Mónica Ajenjo. Yes. they’re paintings. What? True story. I just read an interview Mónica did with Create Magazine, and I immediately started writing this ribbon & balloon filled post. Here’s one of my favorite excerpts from the interview, specifically about this series:

“‘Bows and Balloons’ relate to our inner child and trigger memories of happiness and joyful hope. Is there anything more exciting than opening a beautifully wrapped present? They are positive omens of everything good that is to come. To me, objects such as bows and balloons are contemporary representations of the celebration of life.”

Ahhh, beautiful. We could all use a little celebration at the moment, no? You can read the entire interview right here. ps. She went to law school before becoming a full time artist. What? Another true story.

Oh. My. These paintings are the jaw-dropping work of Ghana based artist – and founder of Worldfaze Art Studio – Kwesi Botchway. Those eyes… they literally stopped me in my tracks, and I couldn’t look away. Turns out, that was Kwesi’s beautiful plan:

“I’m interested in depicting compelling figurative portrait paintings from different generations. My point of focus is the Eyes, Nose and Mouth which is where our emotions are best portrayed, I also believe it helps us better visually experience one another’s feelings; an exchange of information without using words.

My Paintings help create an intriguing dialogue between the subject’s message and the viewer. My work compels the viewer to become physically and emotionally invested in the subject’s story.

I aim to celebrate, capture the spirit, essence and heritage of my subjects and use this as an opportunity to lend the world a glance into the lives and struggles of people whose stories are yet to be fully told.

My paintings are meant to trigger emotions of pride or shame, honor or disgust and sometimes even humor. It’s all about the story of my subjects, which words cannot fully explain.”

‘An exchange of information without using words.’ See? So beautiful. ps. Some of his work is available via Gallery 1957.

Stopped. In. My. Tracks. That is exactly what happened when I caught a glimpse of these gorgeous paintings by California born, New Jersey based artist Grace Lynne Haynes… those flat fields of color and dizzying patterns? LOVE! I found Grace’s striking, beautifully composed, candy-hued work through this article in Elle Magazine, written by Rose Minutaglio. Here are a few excerpts from that interview:

Elle: How has your perspective on art and beauty changed in 2020?

GLH: Nina Simone once said: “It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times in which we live.” I agree. It’s my job as an artist to reflect what is going on in our world right now, so I’m constantly thinking about what my work will mean years from now. I hope people will understand the era I was creating in. Black womanhood is constantly taking on new forms. We’re also in a period where, for the first time in history, women are empowered to pursue their passions and go after careers that weren’t available to us before. I want the Black woman’s perspective to be part of that conversation.

… It’s a whirlwind moment for Haynes, who has reservations about her meteoric rise to the top. “Black women in the art world can be tokenized,” she says. “Art has a habit of becoming trendy, whether that’s Black art or women’s art, and the industry likes to hop on bandwagons. Then, when the trend is over, the artist suffers.”

Sadly, she’s not wrong about bandwagons in the art world. Let’s make damn sure that doesn’t happen this time around, yes? Yes. {Read the full article here}.

Ah yes… politics and art have gone hand-in-hand since, well, forever. I’m Canadian, but it’s pretty much impossible not to watch what’s happening in the United States at the moment. Enter, “Not Normal: Art in the Age of Trump”. This book is a visual protest of the Trump administration featuring 147 artists with over 350 works. The creator of this project is American activist and curator Karen M. Gutfreund. Here is a description of this timely collection:

“Artists around the United States are raging against Donald Trump in visual protest. Not Normal: Art in the Age of Trump, Second Edition, documents this artistic movement in a curated collection. Their outrage is evidenced in full Technicolor on subjects ranging from racism, the Covid pandemic, xenophobia, immigration, promotion of hatred and violence, mistrust of science and facts, misogyny and of course, a narcissism that puts our entire country and world at great risk. While the subject matter is serious, the art is alive with color and detail and is delivered with an irreverent sense of humor.”

2020 will most certainly be one for the history books, and seeing what artists create during this time might be the only thing keeping me going. I’m bracing myself for angry Trump supporters, as everyone has their right to their opinion. That said, all of these artists also have the right to create artwork based on how they feel. I see this as a time capsule… a surreal, ‘this is so not normal’, time capsule.

{Artists show above: 1. India Tresselt; 2. Holly Ballard Martz; 3. Brenda Oelbaum; 4. Michele Pred; 5. Bryan Buckley; 6. Tm Gratkowski; 7. Cabell Molina + more pieces can be seen here}